Whispered In Silence
by Orange Drops
Summary: We fear, not the darkness, but what hides in it. Secrets that are not to be told and to never be found. What if the darkness were to reach out and sink it's teeth into you? It would destroy your world and your mind. Tearing them to pieces bit by bit.
1. Chapter 1

_**We fear, not the darkness, but what hides in it. Secrets that are not to be told and to never be found. What if the darkness were to reach out and sink it's teeth into you? It would destroy your world and your mind. Tearing them to pieces bit by bit.**_

**Black. A color that consumes everything. The inky thickness surrounded her as she struggled to find some source of light. Even a speck would have brought some sort of comfort. She felt suffocated. Walking. Walking. Walking. She just kept walking, but to where? **_**Nowhere. **_**A voice whispered in the dark. She spun sharply, hand slicing through the damp air. Nothing. She brought her hand back to her side, taking a deep breath. **

'**It's just my imagination,' She thought. She turned slowly back to the direction she was headed, or at least that's what her senses told her, and continued on. To where exactly, she didn't know, she couldn't remember anything. Her fingertips trailed against the wall to her right, helping to keep her balance. Falling into the liquid squishing beneath her feet would not help in this situation. Something cold grazed against her left cheek. A quiet gasp escaped her as she turned, back flush against the wall, hand instinctively slapping the empty air again. "Wh-who's there?" She stuttered out into the thick silence. A chuckle echoed around her, the sound tickled something in the back of her mind. It sounded eerily familiar. "Dear Orihime," a husky voice spoke. "Have you already forgotten me?"**

**'That voice,' she felt her eyes widen. 'It couldn't be..' **

"**Oh, but it could," He started laughing again. "My lovely, sweet Inoue Orihime," he said. "You will not escape me this time." It was as if she were blind and a light switch was suddenly flipped behind her eyes, because there he was, standing in front of her. Blackness still surrounded them, but somehow they were the only ones illuminated. He looked exactly the same. Brown hair slicked back , one small tendril falling over between his eyes which were icy and cold. Betraying no emotions just like the last time she saw him, right before he was killed. Killed. **

'**He died! He was suppose to be dead!' He stretched out a hand to her, lean fingers uncurling. **

"**I hold a lot of power, Orihime," he smiled. "When Kurosaki Ichigo had slain me, I was not fully dead and with the last of my strength I used my power to do something impossible," his smile grew. The healer trembled, clutching both hands to her chest. "Explaining to you what I did and how I did it is a waste of time," he continued. "I will let your imagination feed your fear and curiosity." His outstretched hand grasped her wrist tightly and tugged her forward. She stumbled against him, terror flashed in her purple-gray eyes. He lowered his mouth to her ear and said quietly, "It is probably time for you to wake up, Orihime." He shoved her backwards so suddenly, she had no time to react. He body never hit solid ground. Aizen faded into the darkness and she was left alone to keep falling. It seemed to last an eternity.**

Okayyyy, so this is my first story. It is IchiHime. I was pressured into posting it right now tha's why it's so short-_- And that person knows who they are! So please, be nice and review:) Thanks! Sorry if it really sucks.. T^T


	2. Chapter 2

Bright sunlight seeped through the thick purple curtains, casting eerie shadows across the wooden floor. A mass of red hair was the only thing visible of Inoue Orihime who was currently snuggled under a pile of blankets. She shifted a slightly, just so her deep grey eyes could peek over the covers. A small sigh slipped passed her still hidden lips and a hand reached up to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Again with those strange dreams," she mused aloud, slowly sitting up. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and sighed again. It was becoming a bad habit.

Tatuski would be dropping by soon to pick her up. Her best friend had been trying for weeks to get the auburn haired beauty to get out of her apartment and do something fun besides work. She tried reasoning with the karate champion, telling her she needed to continue finding new recipes for the bakery, but she wouldn't have it. She finally gave in and agreed to go. Tossing the blankets off, she slid over the side of the bed and stood, stretching. The floor was always so cold in the mornings, especially since it was the beginning of winter. She made her way to the bathroom to take a much needed hot shower. After rinsing off, she wrapped a towel around her slim figure and dried her hair, pulling it up into a high pony tail and carefully tucking her bangs back with her precious flower hairpins.

Dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a dark blue turtle neck, she glanced at herself in the mirror. A small frown formed on her pretty face as she noticed the purple bags under her eyes.

'Hopefully Tatuski won't notice them.'

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts and she dashed out of her bathroom to answer it.

"Yo, Orihime," a smiling Tatsuki greeted.

"Hey, Tatuski-chan," she greeted back happily.

Her best friend's smile soon faded as she took in her tired look and the dark bags under her usually bright eyes.

Orihime tilted her head, adopting a confused look and asked, "what is it Tatuski-chan?"

The black haired girl put her hand on her hip.

"You had another dream, didn't you Orihime." It wasn't really a question. She shouldn't have doubted her best friend's sharp eyes. She smiled tightly, eyes averting to the side.

"I'm fine Tatuski-chan, let's just go." The tomboy huffed, but nodded. She would get her to talk later. Orihime pulled on her fuzzy boots and jacket, locking the door behind them. The air outside was crisp and chilly, the light wind rustling tree limbs and making the small white flurries in the air dance around them. Each breath they exhaled turned into a small, visible puff of smoke.

"So," the red head began, "where are we going?"

"Just to the small café around the block. It's cold so I thought we'd get some hot chocolate."

"Oh, that sounds good!"

Tatuski smiled at her childish friend's excitement. It had been a while since she'd seen her like that. Orihime pouted at the girl's serious, almost wistful expression, but the smile returned as they neared the café. The tinkling of a bell sounded when they opened the door. The warm air hit their cold faces, a nice contrast to the bitterness outside. It was almost empty inside, save an elderly man reading the newspaper and a couple of other people scattered about, steaming hot chocolate and coffee in front of them. The girls took a table in the back near the window and sat down across from each other. A chubby waitress with short black hair stepped through the 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' door and walked up to their table.

"Hello, my name is Ikumi and I'll be serving you today," she smiled sweetly, "what can I get you?"

"Just two hot chocolate, please," Tatuski replied. She nodded and left coming back not long after with a tray laden with two hot chocolates topped with marshmallows. She set them down and asked if they needed anything else, receiving a polite 'no thank you,' before leaving through the kitchen door once again.

Orihime knew what was coming next and nervously fingered a grain of sugar on the table.

The dark haired girl studied the fidgety red head for a moment before asking softly, "who was it this time?"

The question startled her and her eyes snapped up to look into those perceptive brown eyes. It was always someone different when she had those dreams, sometimes it would be Grimmjow sometimes Ulquiorra.

Tatuski waited patiently for her answer.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and opened her mouth to speak. "A-Aizen," she stuttered quietly.

She cast her eyes down to the piece of sugar and added quickly with a strained laugh, "it's been so long since I was…Since that happened. It's nothing to worry about, just a couple of dreams and they aren't that bad. Nothing ever-" A warm hand stopped her assault on the small white grain of sugar. Her mouth snapped shut and she looked up into the comforting face of her best friend. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

"Three years is not that long of a time, Hime," Tatuski whispered. "What you went through was…it was…terrible," her hold on Orihime's hand tightened as she said the last word and she closed her eyes. Orihime placed her other hand on top of her dear friend's and stubbornly blinked back her tears. Tatuski took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

"Orihime," she looked up, "what did he say this time?"

She thought back to her dream for a minute.

"He said the same thing that, who ever is the one in my dream always says…that-that he has more power than I thought. And then he told me to wake up."

The tomboy slid her hand from Orihime's and folded her arms across her chest, leaning back against the chair. She looked down at their forgotten hot chocolate, eye brows furrowed. Orihime looked at her worriedly, biting her lip. She hadn't told her the whole dream, but she didn't want to worry Tatuski more then she already was and over some silly dreams.

"I guess our hot chocolate isn't hot any more," Tatuski said after a while and blew out a breath.

Confusion flitted across her grey eyes until she looked down to see the cups full of murky liquid. A soft 'oh' escaped and she giggled, scratching the back of her head. Tatuski smirked and let out a small chuckle.

"I guess we've been here a while, ne?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

Thick snow flakes began to sprinkle down from the darkened skies, swirling in clouds as the wind gently pushed them around. The two turned to watch quietly, in comfortable silence, as the world outside slowly turned white.

**Author's notes : ****Again, I'm sorry if this blows and my writing is poop.**


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